Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-04-14

army was the largest and in every way the
most complete of any under Washington's
immediate command during the revolution
airy war, and in ten days time compelled
the surrender of CORVALLIS and his eight
thousand troops, and thus conquered the
independence of the colonies.
General Scott terminated the Mexican
war, and triumphantly entered the City of
Mexico with less than eleven thousand men.
But the war of the rebellion had con-
tinued only few months when Lincoln
found need for many mora soldiers and was
severely criticised for not making his first
call much larger. That call was for three
montns' men, as the belief then prevailed
that the war would last only short time
and amount to only ''Grs ss fast-S peu," to
use a favorite phrase of that day.
Tho free States responded to the Presi-
dents call for troops with alacrity and
filled their quotas with commendable
pronptness. Not so the slave States,
most Of these sent defiant replies to Presi-
dent Lincoln; even little Delaware re-
sponded through its Governor that: There
was no organized militia in the State AMI
no law authorizing such organization"
reply that implied Indifference to say
the best of it.
Through its executive, Claiborne F.
Jackson, another slave State pronounced
the call illegal, unconstitutional and rev.
dictionary; its objects to be inhuman and
diabolical and would not be complied with
by Missouri"
Governor Magoffin said Kentucky ''would
furnish no troops for the wicked purpose
of subduing the South" The papers of the
time commented freely upon these defiant
responses.
In the little county wherein the writer
dwelt, company of volunteers was
promptly enlisted. At this time the writer,
not yet eighteen years of age, did not feel
called upon to enlist in his country's serv-
ice but passed the spring ami summer of
1861 peacefully following the pillow.
With him, in the early spring for some
weeks at the same farmhouse, were five
young men, a jolly, merry, light-hearted
lot of fellows, none of whom were beyond
twenty-five years of age.
Two of the number, brothers, Charley
and ''Ted,' were vigorous, bright, good
natured, clear-skinned young Englishmen,
with just enough brogue in their speech to
excite interest
Charley, the younger of the brothers, had
bright black eyes, played the violin skill
fully, was brim full of fun and was the
life wag and jollicst member Of a jolly lot
Jack" third one of the number, was
noted for good nature and dry wit
Although they all followed the plow
'from sun-up till SHUTDOWN" seldom were
they too tired to assemble on the back
porch of evenings after supper, crack
jokes, sing merry songs and listen, while
Charley worked from his fiddle such old.
time pieces as: "Fisher's Hornpipe," Gar
kansaw Traveler;' "Buy Broom" "Buf-
falo Girls" ETC., and sometimes upon such
occasions, with the two or three girls about
the house, cotillipn dance was improvised
in the kitchen.
As the war progressed, all these young
men joined the army, and brief summary
of their history, as illustrative of the fort.
une Of war; may not be undressing
Charley, five months after enlistment, was
killed at Belmont, Mo-, November Z, 1851
Grants first battle-shot in the head with
a musket- baA "Jackn enlisted in the fall
of 1861, at which time he expressed to the
writer the following bit of philosophy:
"a Teller u never die till his time comes,
any how recon-" Poor Jacks time camo
in August, 1864, when he fell before At
lanta by a bullet wound through his neck.
A third member of the group at the farm
house, whose name has slipped from men,
DRY, in July, 1863, at Jackson, Miss, had
his leg torn off near the body by q cannon
ball and died in q few hours from hemor-
rhage and chock "Ted" enlisted at the
first call in 1861 and four years later was
mustered out, but whether sound in body
and limb is not known. The fifth and last
of the number went through three years Of
the war unscathed. Three taken and two
lefti Truly, war reaps terrible harvest.